Devorah Major & Destiny Muhammad
Major served as San Francisco’s Third Poet Laureate (2002-2006). In addition to her four poetry books she has four poetry chapbooks, two novels, two biographies for young adults, and a host of short stories, essays, and individual poems published. In November 2016, City Lights Publishing will release her fifth volume of poetry. Devorah Major performs nationally and internationally, with and without musicians. 

Destiny Muhammad is a recording/performing artist, band leader, composer and producer. Her genre "Celtic to Coltrane" is cool and eclectic with a feel of jazz and storytelling to round out the sonic experience.

Genny Lim w/ Anthony Brown & the Asian American Orchestra
Genny Lim is a noted poet performer who’s collaborated with the late Max Roach and bassist, Herbie Lewis. Lim has performed at numerous jazz festivals and venues coast to coast, including the SFJAZZ Poetry Festival and World Poetry Festivals in Venezuela, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Italy. Her poetry and vocals can be heard on Asian ImprovArts recordings with Francis Wong, Devotee and Child of Peace and on Jon Jang’s Immigrant Suite. She is the author of the award-winning play, Paper Angels, Island: Poetry and History of Chinese Immigrants on Angel Island, as well as several poetry collections, including Paper Gods and Rebels. Lim is the second SFJAZZ Poet Laureate.

Anthony Brown is a composer, percussionist, ethnomusicologist, Guggenheim fellow, Smithsonian Associate Scholar, and Artistic Director of the GRAMMY nominated Asian American Orchestra and the nonprofit organization, Fifth Stream Music. He has composed music for critically acclaimed, award winning film documentaries, theater productions, dance companies and musical ensembles internationally, and has collaborated with Max Roach, Cecil Taylor, Zakir Hussain, Steve Lacy, Anthony Davis and the San Francisco Symphony. Dr. Brown has served as Curator of American Musical Culture and Director of the Jazz Oral History Program at the Smithsonian Institution, and as a Visiting Professor of Music at UC Berkeley.

Listen to a live recording of Freedom Now Suite on KCSM-FM's "In The Moment" program on February 23, 2017: Soundcloud